Prevention and management of cochlear implant infections

Understanding the issues of infection related to an implantable medical device is crucial to all cochlear implant teams. Furthermore, given the risk of central nervous system complications and the relatively high quantity of underlying resource investment associated with cochlear implantation, the stakes of infection are high. The optimal strategies to prevent and manage such infections are still evolving as good-quality prospective data to guide such management decisions are not yet abundant within the medical literature and many recommendations are based on retrospective reviews or anecdotal evidence. We will outline a general strategy to deal with cochlear implant-related infection based on both the authors' experience and the published literature.